Green’s Dictionary of Slang

bully adj.²

aggressive, tough.

1746		W. Dunkin Parson’s Revels (2010) 62: The bully-Greeks, as Homer writes, / Ne’er went without their Boots to fights.
1707		Humours of a Coffee-House 5 Dec. 67: Bully Dawson, who being upbraided by a Gentleman [...] reply’d You are much mistaken, Sir, I am only Kick’d by one half of the World, and the other half I Kick.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 184: Zoon! says the bully Greek, What now.
1775		Sheridan Duenna III i: Oh! what a cursed bully-headed, bloody-minded, swaggering dog it is!
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 242: A bird, so large and fierce, it made / This pair of bully Greeks afraid.
1853		Bell’s Life in Sydney 5 Feb. 3/1: Knocking down a big bully carpenter named Brown.
1887		Sun (NY) 23 Dec. 3/1: ‘Bully Bill’ Thomas was a very tough subject.
1894		Mirror of Life 3 Nov. 15/3: ‘You’re the bulliest sailor that comes into this port and you can lick anything’.

In compounds

bully-beau (n.)

a thuggish aristocrat.

1696		Character of the Beaux 21: A Hector or Bully-Beau, in general, is one who bilks Coaches, runs from Taverns without paying.
1700		T. Brown Amusements Serious and Comical in Works (1744) III 35: A bully beau comes drunk into the pit, screaming out, Damn me, Jack, ’tis a confounded play, let’s to a whore.
1746		W. Dunkin Parson’s Revels (2010) 65: One Bully-Beau had lost his Hat. / And one his Wig, a third lay flat.
1769		North Briton 23 Dec. 179: The present John , commonly known by the name of Bully Beau Jack.
1877		(ref. to 1700) Warrington Advertiser 14 Apr. 2/6: [T]hose who, in the language of the day, were called bully-beaus--fellows who mamtaiuet a reputation for courage end enterprise by empty swagger and violent assault.